1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to telecommunications and, in particular, to call hold centers. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to promoting caller voice browsing while a caller is waiting in a hold queue.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many companies provide telephone-based access to help staff, sales personnel, representatives, and automated menus via a call center. Where high telephone call traffic is typical in telephone access to a company's representatives, a PBX system receives the call and distributes the call to an automatic call distributor (ACD), thus incorporating a hold function in the call center. ACDs are often employed to provide an even and systematic distribution of incoming calls to multiple representatives. In particular, ACDs typically provide incoming calls with a direct connection to an available representative until all representatives are busy. Then, calling parties are placed in a call queue, and selectively connected to a representative once a representative comes available.
Call queues may cause frustration and ill will of consumers towards a company, particularly where excessively long waits, full queues and accidental disconnects are encountered. One way to alleviate some of the frustration associated with call queues is by allowing the caller to select from a menu of multiple services while waiting. Such services may include music, news, weather, release of a the line to call a third-party, transfer of the call to a chat room of other callers on hold, competitions, and other activities in which callers may participate while on hold. While participating in the services, the caller may receive periodic updates as to a position in the queue and an estimated wait time remaining.
In order to provide the caller with a menu of services, interactive voice response units (IVRU) are often utilized. For example, a caller placed in a queue of a call center may be enabled to access multiple entertainment options while on hold. An IVRU provides the caller with a menu of available entertainment options accessible while on hold. While IVRU systems provide a method for prompting a caller to select from a menu and then automating a transcript of information selected by the caller, IVRU systems are costly and are limited only to output of transcripted information. For example, a news transcript is output as a news service. However, the news transcript may not cover a particular news item of interest to the caller.
In view of the foregoing, it would be advantageous to provide a method, system, and program for allowing a caller to browse web pages while on hold in a call queue. In addition, it would be advantageous to provide a method, system, and program for allowing a caller to browse a selection of web pages that are specified for the caller according to a caller profile while the caller is on hold in a call queue. Further, it would be advantageous to promote browsing within the selection of web pages by providing incentives.